Forts and Glad Tidings
by cougarlips
Summary: On his way, he met a handful of people - Rick and Michonne Grimes with their children, Glenn and Maggie Rhee and their two kids, Carol Peletier, Morgan Jones, Aaron and Eric Raleigh, Tara Chambler and Denise Cloyd - but none made so much of an impression on him as Paul Rovia, who called himself Jesus and, like Daryl, was running from his past.


requested by an anon on tumblr: "I know this is hardly an original prompt considering the previous one but can i get a snowball fight leading to kissing? Maybe with a hint of xmas?" i'm user thatsmygvn if u wanna check out my twd blog u3u

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When it was just Daryl and Merle, living in the south was okay. He didn't care much about Georgia but it was all he'd ever known, and really, how much reason did he have to leave? But after Merle's murder, it all became too much. Too stifling. Those who didn't turn their noses up at Daryl for how he looked did so because he was a Dixon, and it was a reputation he had no way of shedding unless he left.

So he did.

On his way, he met a handful of people - Rick and Michonne Grimes with their children, Glenn and Maggie Rhee and their two kids, Carol Peletier, Morgan Jones, Aaron and Eric Raleigh, Tara Chambler and Denise Cloyd - but none made so much of an impression on him as Paul Rovia, who called himself Jesus and, like Daryl, was running from his past.

The man was a former trickster and con artist who operated out of New Orleans, but after one-too-many close calls and a near death experience, he decided to hit the road himself. He said he came back home to Virginia to find out his family was gone.

Something about him and his story resonated with Daryl, but it was more than that: it was the way he knew how to defend and protect himself no matter the circumstance; it was how he could coax Daryl out of an episode in the dead of night without making anything worse.

It was how Jesus was ten years older in mind than in body, but he still managed to see the best life had to offer.

Daryl spent his first winter living with Jesus in a small, cramped apartment that they somehow could call their own, though neither spent much time in it. Instead they walked around the town, hands in their pockets and cigarettes billowing smoke around them.

And though Daryl had seen snow, he'd never actually seen so much of it stick to the ground.

When one day they woke up to a true winter wonderland, Jesus nearly bounded out of skin at the sight, yelling Christmas carols until Daryl got out of bed and put his shoes on for their morning walk.

They watched the children attempt to assemble snowmen and teenagers build forts to prepare for a snowball fight. Adults stood to the side with pink noses and thermos cups filled to the brim with coffee and cocoa, overseeing the younger ones.

As soon as Daryl reached for his pocket, dropping his gaze from the scene before him to grab his cigarettes and lighter, he felt a snowball collide with his neck. When he looked back up, Jesus was nowhere to be found - except Daryl could hear him snickering from behind one of the abandoned snow forts.

Soon, what started as one snowball turned into several dozen, but when the snow began melting underneath their clothes and the cold turned their fingers and toes numb through their socks and gloves, Jesus untied the bandana around his neck and waved it above the fort.

"I give up!" he announced, standing slowly and turning around -

\- to be met with a final snowball right to the forehead.

"I suppose I deserve that," he conceded, bumping his arm with Daryl's.

Daryl snorted but rested his arm over Jesus's shoulders. "Let's just get warmed up," he replied.

Back inside their tiny home, Jesus looked over to see Daryl stand in the doorway, his eyes warm despite the freezing temperature. He gave in to a small smile. "I know this year's been pretty shit for both of us, but I'm glad I tried to steal your stuff. I got to meet you," he admitted.

Jesus's smile widened at the way Daryl's skin flushed at the comment. "You ain't got no reason to go all sappy on me now," he mumbled. "Christmas ain't for another week."

Jesus nodded at him, standing up from his bed and moving in front of him. "That's true," he conceded. Softly, he leaned forward and kissed Daryl's lips. "But if you think I'm going to put a timer on when I get to be a sap, you really don't know me at all."


End file.
